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Think about the last time you went to a store or restaurant and had terrible service. You probably walked out of the place in a bad mood, vowed never to return, and then ripped the company on Twitter once you got home.

While that last one sounds a bit extreme, it happens pretty frequently in today’s world. A company’s reputation is constantly at risk of being taken down by its own reputation, whether that be a ride that kept breaking down or a burger that wasn’t fully cooked, people will know when someone has dropped the ball.

It’s the same for those working in the medical profession, except you don’t run the risk of burning someone’s food or telling kids they’re not tall enough to ride.

You’re dealing with people’s lives.

Customer service plays an important role in many aspects of a medical practice’s day-to-day operations. Whether it’s the moment a patient walks through the door, or when placing a call to confirm appointments, the amount of effort you put toward the customer experience says a lot about the care you provide. You want patients to feel good about upcoming appointments or like they have someone on their team on a day that could be very trying for them.

When medical practices fail to meet these levels of service, they reinforce the popular misconception that doctors want patients in and out of their offices quickly or that hospitals only wish to make money off patients any way they can. As with any organization today, your practice’s reputation is then at risk, and it only takes a few bad reviews of your services posted online to start making some serious dents. Yearly discussions about funding, budgets, and staffing will be marred by talks of miscommunication, inefficient follow-up procedures, and high-profile incidents. When these issues become constant, it’s bad news for that medical practice.

Healthcare is not free, it’s an agreement between the provider and patient. People are paying for the care you provide. If we think of care as a product, then even the most basic knowledge of sales will tell us that demonstrating the “value” of that product is what will keep patients coming back time and again. This idea that patients will show up anyway doesn’t hold water when you consider the general population’s attitude towards health insurance and the cost of care. People will live in pain or let a condition go untreated because they simply do not like the hospital or feel like the bills would be worse than their current situation. Hospitals attempting to collect payments are sent to voicemail daily since patients don’t want to talk about their situation or feel as though there’s nothing that can be done on the other end.

When your patients are faced with a decision to make an appointment or go to the hospital you want their faith in you to outweigh any costs or reservations they have about receiving your care. This is where your practice can excel, in comforting the minds of current, past, and future patients.

Let’s consider today’s average consumer: when shopping for something they would like, let’s say for instance a television, they first conduct a bit of research. This involves checking prices online, reading product reviews, and watching YouTube videos about the TV they’re considering buying.

If that same consumer is in the market for something a little more important, like a new physician, you can be sure they’re going to conduct the same amount of, if not more, research. That’s why maintaining a good presence on review sites and social media pages is essential to running a successful practice. It’s not difficult to stay on top of reviews and profiles but more a matter of keeping up-to-date information posted.

This is especially important for websites that specialize in physician and hospital reviews.

Examples of these sites are:

• Vitas
• ZocDoc
• Healthgrades

On these websites, you will have to provide current information since many potential patients may be totally unfamiliar with your practice. This means you risk seriously misrepresenting your practice if you don’t always have accurate information posted.

Your basic information like your name, photo (if allowed), and education is the first thing patients will see. When choosing a photo, make sure it’s professional and of good quality.

You need to also give specifics about your practice, since this is what most patients will care the most about when choosing a physician.

Information you will be asked for includes

• Whether or not you’re accepting new patients
• Field of expertise
• Care philosophy
• Affiliated hospitals
• Accepted insurance carriers and plans

That last one is especially important, since the health insurance landscape can be tricky for many patients – you want to help any way you can in giving them their options.

Getting patients into your office is only half the battle when it comes to maintaining an online reputation, it’s what happens after that can really harm a practice.

That’s because social media has given everyone a voice, and unfortunately that voice is sometimes not very happy.

Social media outlets where physician reviews can be seen include

• Facebook
• Yelp
• Twitter
• Google

If you encounter nasty or unflattering reviews, first do your research and find out the back story for the situation. Next, address the issue publicly in a professional and apologetic response. If, however, you are being tarnished without reason, take the steps necessary to remove the review according to the platform’s policies.

As long as physicians or their practices have not misrepresented themselves, and they take the time to respond to reviews in the appropriate manner, this shouldn’t be an issue. The main concern for physicians and the practices they represent should be maintaining an image of trustworthiness and care in their presentation online.

Streamlining operations is the name of the game for many industries today, and medicine is an area where that transition is long overdue. Increased costs, changing health insurance procedures, and a more educated patient base has led to a growth in telemedicine offerings from medical practices around the country.

The ability to stay home and contact a health professional is a big deal, considering that when telemedicine began to take shape over half a century ago it wasn’t considered a serious option for receiving care. Today, telemedicine is changing the way patients view about their health, and in turn, changing the ways that practices serve their patients.

Medical practices should all be looking at ways to embrace telemedicine and telehealth technology, since it will undoubtedly be crucial in the future.

How crucial? A 2017 survey found that 77% of patients would like to take part in a virtual care session. This statistic alone is evidence of the effect telehealth technology has already had on our society. Mobile health apps have made patients more proactive about keeping track of their health. This is an increase in patient engagement, which means better communication between doctors and patients. When doctors’ offices spend a bulk of their day calling patients, following up on appointments and info requests, another avenue to easily communicate with multiple patients at once is needed.

Telemedicine also helps smaller hospitals that may not have access to specialists or are short on staff, freeing up time to focus on patients currently in the building.

Another attractive aspect of telemedicine is the effect it’s having on costs, or rather the way it’s addressing unnecessary costs.

There are several reasons for why this is happening, including:

• Declining ER visits
• Adherence to medication / treatment
• Substitution of in-office appointments for video calls and chats

There are costs, however, for maintaining a telemedicine operation on a large scale.  But any practice can integrate small telemedicine measures into their operation without fully replacing it. Small web cams are a start, and as patient needs change then the equipment needed will also follow suit. However, many offices are currently supplementing their practice with telehealth technology.

Get with the Program, or the App

The patient landscape is changing, and the use of apps like iBlueButton and MyChart are helping hospitals and medical practices evolve in tow. Your practice can take small steps towards telemedicine implementation by using one of the many popular apps designed for patients and healthcare professionals. There are also automated scheduling programs and apps currently being used by medical practices looking to stay ahead of the curve.

Some trends are permanent; if your practice isn’t taking advantage of telehealth technology then it’s not reaching its true potential. Telemedicine can make life easier for your patients, and equally as important, your staff.

From an early age we’re taught that teamwork yields some of the best results. It’s why in sports we pass the ball or, as students, get divided into groups for big classroom assignments; goals are reached and often exceeded when we harness the power of teamwork.

Traditionally, the relationship between doctor and patient has been one of “teacher” and “student,” where the doctor or physician hands the patient their homework in the form of prescriptions, diet recommendations, etc. We’d like to think that the patient always goes home and completes their homework right away, we’d like to think that. The truth is, a patient may get their prescription filled but fail to adhere to dietary restrictions, exercise, or make other lifestyle changes advised to them.

This disconnect is what’s driving more medical practices to push for more patient collaboration. Working together with patients ensures that the efforts of doctors or physicians remain effective even after the patient walks out the door. Patients also feel like they have someone on their team, who is also working toward the same goal, which is improving your health.

The need for increased accountability on the part of the patient is currently being met with the help of technology. Health tracking apps give patients a chance to monitor aspects of their health in between appointments. Other apps allow patients access to their test results, immunization records, and other aspects of their health. Miscommunication leads to problems in the healthcare industry, whether it’s missed appointments or insurance related issues, communication between doctor and patient is key to maintaining a successful practice. Scheduling apps that can reduce scheduling discrepancies, with less calls needed between appointment setters and patients, are now being utilized more than ever in an effort to keep the lines of communication open between doctor and patient.

Telemedicine is one of the driving forces behind patient collaboration, and with more practices taking advantage of new technology, software, and mobile apps this trend shows no signs of slowing. We’re not saying that opening an app at home is the same as going into an office for a diagnosis. In-person visits will never be obsolete, but they can be improved so that more patients can be treated in less time, with fewer repeat visits. In fact, you improve the quality and effectiveness of each in-person visit since prior to the appointment you will have had more communication with the patient and are aware of any recent symptoms, changes in blood pressure, or other issues they are experiencing.

Your practice’s commitment to patients cannot be undermined if you are taking steps to collaborate with them on improving their health. This is the ultimate measure of a medical practice’s worth, the ability to act as the patient’s teammate, setting both up for a winning season.

There are more than enough reasons to go pursue a career in the healthcare industry; where most industries are susceptible to downsizing, pay cuts, and increasing competition, healthcare remains a stable and promising job market for new workers. Despite the benefits of working in this industry, individual healthcare practices around the country struggle to retain their current employees. According to a CompData 2017 survey, the total turnover rate for healthcare was 20.6% in 2017.

So, where’s the disconnect?

The healthcare industry requires a bit of resilience on the side of the employees; dealing with extensive paperwork, constant changes in regulation, difficult patient situations, all while trying to maintain their personal lives is not a life everyone can live.

Simply put, your medical staff needs some R&R.

But we’re not talking about the “rest and relaxation,” think of it more as recognition and replenishment.

Recognize Hardships

A job that requires listening to patients should warrant a workplace that encourages the same relationship between management and their staff. People want to be heard, they need to feel as if their frustrations are valid. You’ll find that many of them are, but just listening to them is the first step to ensuring you do your part to address them accordingly.

Recognize Hard Work

We know that there are members of your staff who receive praise daily from the patients they help, but they wouldn’t mind hearing the same from management.

Even better, plan small events that offer you a chance to thank them for their hard work in front of their fellow employees. Realistically, your practice should have some sort of yearly event that says a collective “thank you” to your whole staff.

Provide Replenishment 

Depending on the practice, the day-to-day operations can be physically and emotionally draining on your staff. No one expects you to be the sole reason your employee has a good life; their quality of life also depends on the choices they make in and out of the workplace. But their job can be an area of their life that they view in an overall positive light. You can alleviate some of the fatigue and frustration felt among your staff by:

• Awarding time off to exceptional or long-time staff feeling burnt out
• Letting workers know how they can move up into a new role
• Offering training opportunities in areas that may interest the employee
• Planning fun events outside of work – you’ll get an idea of an employee’s situation this way

Turnover can have a serious effect on the bottom line at the end of the year, and in hospitals this can mean millions of dollars. Keeping a high retention rate ensures that your hospital not only avoids these costs, but also demonstrates the workplace culture you’ve helped to create.

There was a time when financial institutions and businesses faced the constant threat of having their cash registers and banks cleaned out by criminals. As security systems evolved, so have criminals; where the prize was once money in the drawer, now it’s data in the servers. Medical practices face the prospect of this new threat that will grow and change naturally with the technology available to society: cyberattacks. It’s essential to take preventative measures to protect patient privacy, sensitive information, finances and more. Read on to learn how to protect your medical practice from a cyberattack.

Why Medical Practices?

Despite their lack of coverage in the media, medical practices are successfully attacked every year. A recent survey of 1,300 physicians found that 83% had experienced some sort of cyberattack. Why are they being targeted? Doctors’ offices and hospitals are attractive targets because the information they store is extremely sensitive, which gives hackers an advantage in leveraging payment. A medical practice experiencing this type of attack will undoubtedly be faced with an interruption of services.

An interruption of services due to an attack can cost a practice thousands of dollars, as well as hindering the trust of your future and current patients. Advancements in cyber security and initiatives by the Health Care Industry Cybersecurity Task Force have proven effective at deterring attacks, but arguably the most important aspect of cyber security is what goes on inside your practice.

Take Control of Data

Addresses and insurance information alone present a tempting opportunity for cyber criminals. Keeping this information safe should be your first step in securing your practice, and you can do so by educating your employees on what cyber security looks like in their day-to-day work. Emphasize the importance of logging out of systems every time employees leave their computers, and make sure everyone’s login information is unique. Attention should also be placed on access restriction, with only authorized members of your staff given access to the most sensitive information. Employees that have been let go, or have resigned, should immediately be stripped of all access authorization to prevent retaliation or outside breaches.

Be Proactive

In addition to removing permissions from ex-employees, it’s imperative that you change your passwords afterwards. Choosing a new password doesn’t mean adding one more character to your current one or reverting to passwords in the past. Passwords should be unique to each system, device, and employee; cutting corners only leads to more problems in the future. Software also presents an opportunity to cut corners; whenever you’re notified of a new update for your software, notify your IT team, and then wait for their assessment of the patches, updates, and possible risks to your systems.

Plan for the Worst

If you have not moved all or the bulk of your data into cloud storage, then your practice is playing a dangerous game. Not only does a cloud keep information off vulnerable in-house servers, but also gives your practice a safety net in the event your data is held ransom. Risk assessments should be performed regularly, and your staff should be informed of each new security threat or process. The rate of recovery after a cyberattack depends on the measures your practice has taken ahead of time. Communication among security personnel and unaffected data in a cloud are your practice’s best bet at bouncing back from an attack.

Like any business or organization, a medical practice needs to invest in the proper marketing to ensure a steady influx of patients who know and trust the practice with their healthcare. Whether through social media marketing, print marketing or networking events, medical practices must be willing to make an effort – as it doesn’t matter how amazing the practice’s care is if no one can find any information on it. Check out these helpful tips for marketing a medical practice.

Establish Branding for Your Practice

Branding will help potential patients instantly recognize your practice across many forms of media: social media, newspaper ads, and your website, for example. Choose a color scheme and business name that appears professional and symbolizes your practice. It helps to make your logo stand out from others as well – so, don’t use other logos as “inspiration,” rather come up with something that will relate to your practice’s unique philosophy. Keep this branding consistent throughout all of your marketing materials so patients can easily recognize that the information is coming from your practice.

Be Accessible to Internet Users

Most people who will be looking for services will use the internet to search for providers, look at reviews, and email/message to ask questions. It is a good idea to have a mobile-friendly, professional website with frequent blogs as well as active social media pages to ensure your practice’s services and contact information are readily available to the masses. In particular, social media provides an avenue for you to be personable and professional with users – as well as run ads in your local area, increasing your outreach. Make sure to post at least 5-10 times per week to help your business appear more frequently on the feeds of people in your community.

Give Out Health Tips

By providing health tips, you are reassuring patients that they are being considered and that you care for their well-being, even when they aren’t in your office. You can provide health tips through physical or digital newsletters, social media, or blog posts. Including these in your marketing plan reaffirms your practice’s professionalism in its field, as well as the compassion of its staff.

Send Out Appointment Reminders and Follow Ups

Patients notice and appreciate attentiveness, especially in the form of appointment reminders and follow ups. If your practice uses a HIPAA-compliant reminder system, it’s very easy to set up. However, if your practice is smaller and you have the staff available for it, personal text or phone call reminders are useful as well.

Be Active in Your Community

Maintaining a presence at sporting events, health fairs, town festivals, and anywhere else you can set up a booth will lead to more people knowing your practice’s name. At these booths, run small raffles, or at the very least hand out pens, small fridge magnets, and other accoutrements advertising your business. This way, your practice will be on the fridges and in the offices of local residents.

Another effective way to be active in your community is to donate a physical or other basic service to a local charity auction. You should also be available to local news centers for interviews that can advertise your practice. These methods will help spread your practice’s name to the community and potentially those that surround it.

For any medical practice to succeed, it’s paramount that patients can have access to information and be able to easily spread the word. Start by establishing branding, maintaining an active website and social media pages, following up with current and potential patients and being an active presence in the local community.